


Baby Steps

by Athelise



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adorkable, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Anxiety Attacks, Ben Solo is a geek, Ben is 27ish, Ben is a sweetheart, Ben is an Alpha, College Student! Rey, F/M, Gift Giving, Harry Potter References, Household objects are used for sex, I did a thing and went through with it, Inappropriate Use of Household Items, Inspired by Twitter, Knot Aversion, Marvel References, Maz Kanata is the best, Never been in heat, New Suppressors, Offerings, Omega!Rey, Past Sexual Assault, Protective Ben Solo, Rey (Star Wars) Has Issues, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey is 19, Rey thinks he's a Beta, Reylo Enabler Prompts made me do it, Self-Defense, Sexual Harrassment, TA Ben Solo, baby steps, bourdaries, came out a lot less funny than I thought, first heat, mental barriers, past trauma, there may or may not be a cucumber in here, we stan those who respect women
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:22:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23598313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athelise/pseuds/Athelise
Summary: Rey is an Omega who has never been in heat and fears Alphas and their knots. But with her admission to Naboo University Rey gets a new lease on life with their Omega-inclusive policies and some of the best suppressors in the country to hide her from the eyes of Alphas. Not only that, but her burgeoning friendship with the adorkable Beta, Ben Solo, may just be the best thing to ever happen to her.-Based on the Reylo "Enabler" Prompts Twitter Prompt
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 22
Kudos: 329





	Baby Steps

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! Thank you to all the people who voted for me to make this prompt into a proper fic. The original prompt was really cute and funny, but, knowing me, I swerved right Angst Land. This fic came out a LOT longer than I anticipated (35 pages, double-spaced), and talks about trauma and sexual assault and harassment on a cultural level. 
> 
> I really see a lot of potential social comparisons between what women and Omegas like Rey experience every day, and I really tried to dive into that in this fic. Every woman, and many men, knows what it's like to feel afraid just walking down the street, or even go from our cars to our homes. This story is dedicated to all the survivors and fighters out there who keep living their lives despite everything: it will get better.
> 
> And thank you so much to my beta reader kira_khaleesi (@OctopusSoap on Twitter) for sticking with me through my BS. (I broke her beta cherry, y'all!)

For some reason, her college required a medical checkup before her admission into the student apartments that her scholarship afforded her. Betas only needed their immunization record, but she needed to see a specialist because Rey was an Omega who has never experienced a heat in all her nineteen years of life, and Naboo University was more than a little suspicious. Her scholarship was for Omegas only. Couldn’t have some Beta scamming them, could they? It left Rey feeling more than a little bitter.

Dr. Kanata assures her that she’s perfectly healthy, perhaps on the thinner side, and that she is likely suppressing her heats due to her terror of Alpha men and knots. “It’s not unheard of,” the geriactric doctor tells her from her position between Rey’s legs. “You were an Omega in the foster system, I doubt you were able to form stable attachments. The scars of the mind can wreak havoc for even the most powerful biological urges.” 

Rey didn’t want to talk about  _ scars.  _ Scars were from cuts and burns earned from scavenging car parts and electronics. Scars healed. Scars were strong. What happened to her, and continued to live in her, was a  _ wound _ . A piece inside her that was gouged out and continues to throb with red pain. She was reminded of it every time she scented an Alpha, or saw a little Omega girl hand in hand with presumably her father. 

Part of her wanted to be able to love people. To trust them. But Rey was filled with fear and she hated it.

Rey hated Alpha men and how they all seemed to think they were  _ entitled _ to her just because she was unmated, how their eyes lingered on her as she walked down any street. How cars slowed down so they could sniff at her from open windows before offering her “a ride.” She even despised how they paid for her meals in restaurants without asking, or held open doors, or even smiled, because it was all a trap. A ploy, a faux courtesy designed to make her let her guard down so they could pounce and make her take their knots and carry their babies.

Rey wasn’t even sure she  _ could  _ have babies if she didn’t have any heats.

Dr. Kanata withdrew her speculum and wiped Rey’s thighs off. “You can sit up now, my dear.”

Rey did and readjusted her paper gown. Dr. Kanata was associated with the University but was so warm and welcoming that Rey nearly forgot that she had money depending on her diagnosis. Dr. Kanata disposed of the used materials before rolling back to Rey. “You are most certainly an Omega, dear, so no need to look at me like that.”

Rey couldn’t help her small chuckle. Dr. Kanata patted Rey’s knee with a wizened hand. “Not to worry, my dear. I believe this school will be good for you. It has an excellent program for Omegas, and I’ve already submitted a note to have you enrolled in their Suppressants for Students Program, and there should be no additional cost to your scholarship. They’ve developed some of the best in the country. You can hardly tell an Omega from a Beta, they say, and most Alphas on campus are highly encouraged to enroll as well, so that will likely help with your triggers.” 

Rey’s eyes welled with gratitude. She didn’t think she could say anything that wasn’t whimper, so she just nodded. Dr. Kanata smiled with eyes as old as the oceans. “And I have a referral for an excellent therapist on campus. I am not requiring that you go, but it is something I recommend for you. Will you try?”

Rey cleared her throat. “I will.”

“Good. Now, child, let us get you on your way. Call us if any  _ issues  _ arise.” Dr. Kanata looked meaningfully at her, and Rey’s smile was much more forced this time.  _ Heats.  _ Was that all anyone cared about when it came to Omegas?

Rey was afraid it might be so.

She left the clinic half past eleven and handed the doctor's paperwork over to the Bursar’s Office herself. After a brief review she was sent to wait for the Housing department to hand her the keys, and they only took an hour. A new record, really, for how busy the University was.

The rest of that day was spent hauling her things up to her new apartment. Her studio room was a shoebox, but was furnished and specially soundproofed for Omegas and Alphas. It took a key to even get into the building, and her room was at the end of an enclosed hallway. She was happy to see her door had an extra deadbolt, too. Alpha-proof.

The early August day carried some flavor of fall, but not nearly enough to keep Rey from sweating profusely as she unloaded her borrowed truck. Her things mostly consisted of her hardware equipment and books that she had collected over the years, and only two trunks of clothes. Still, there were several heavy items that were packaged individually, and it was going to take a lot of trips. 

She got a few stares from some Alphas who picked up on her smell, and she refused all of their help when they inevitably offered. One of them, a Latino man with thick curls and soulful eyes, nodded thoughtfully, and he disappeared into the next building. When Rey returned to her truck she saw two Betas waiting awkwardly on the sidewalk. Rey didn’t sense any hostility, so she approached.

One of them was a short woman not much older than Rey. She had even golden skin and black hair that spiked artfully around her face. Rey guessed she may be Vietnemese. The other Beta was a handsome black man who must have been the same age with deep skin and a sweet air about him. 

“Can I help you?” Rey crossed her arms, and the Beta woman nodded. “I’m Rose!” she blurted out, “That’s Finn, and we, um, see that you’re moving in and...”

“Want some help?” Finn offered smoothly, and Rose nodded. Her cheeks were pink, and Rey had an instinctive liking for her. Still...

“My stuff is heavy,” Rey shrugged, and shaded her eyes from the sun. It was getting late, and Rey was already very hungry. 

Rose held up a hand. “I lift.” 

Rey smiled at Rose and looked at Finn, “And you?”

“Oh, yeah,” Finn nodded and crossed his arms. “I totally lift!” 

“Yeah, you lift Cheetos to your mouth,” Rose muttered and Rey laughed along with her as Finn turned half a shade darker. 

“Well,” Rey said, “I don’t have snacks or money or anything to thank you with...”

“We can order pizza and split it three ways,” Rose offered, and Finn echoed the sentiment. Rey felt a warming in her chest, and found herself nodding before she could put too much thought into it.

With the extra pairs of hands they were done in just two more trips, and soon they were splayed out on the floor of her apartment while the AC was cranked as low as it would go. “Lucky,” Finn remarked as he glanced around the studio apartment. “Yours came furnished. Poe and I had to thrift all our furniture.”

“Paige and I, too. That’s my sister,” Rose offered to Rey, who nodded. 

“And who’s Poe?” Rey asked as she set her beat-up Android to the building’s WiFi. 

“Oh, he’s my roommate. Alpha,” Finn explained. “He’s the one who told us you were moving in.” 

Rose hissed and swatted Finn. “He told us not to tell her!” 

“Wait, an Alpha told you guys to help me?” Rey glanced between the two of them, Finn looking guilty, while rubbing his thigh and Rose embarrassed. She shrugged. “He said you probably didn’t trust Alphas. A lot of Omegas who come here are like that. My sister hasn’t had the best experience with Alphas, either.”

“Really?” Rey scooted towards Rose. There were Omegas like her out there, Rey knew, who feared the script biology had written for them. But everyone was encouraged to dismiss it:  _ That’s an Alpha for you. The Omega will like it by the time their heat comes around _ .

Finn looked up. “My cousin Jannah is an Omega too. She’s tough like you. Doesn’t put up with Alpha bullshit,” he smiled. “Poe learned to behave from her and Paige, honestly. So don’t worry about him. He’s a real Casanova but harmless; he’ll stay away if he makes you nervous.”

Rose obviously picked up on Rey’s discomfort. “So where are you from, Rey? What’s your major?” 

“Poe can come have pizza with us,” Rey offered before she could change her mind. 

Finn beamed at her. “Poe is actually out for the night, but I’ll let him know you offered. Has anyone ordered the pizza yet? I want pineapple.”

Rose gagged. “Monster!” 

“Agreed,” said Rey, and the two dissolved into giggles as Finn protested.

Thirty minutes later Rey headed downstairs to accept the pizza delivery. After she traded the money for the hot boxes she turned sharply on her heel and headed back inside.

And collided with someone. Rey swore and protected the pizza boxes at the cost of her ass, and someone else was swearing just as hard.

“Oh, fuck me, are you alright?! Miss, I am so sorry!”

“Yeah, you better, you tosser,” she muttered under her breath, and glared up...and up...and up... until finally the guy crouched to reach out to her. Rey blinked at him. 

_ Pale _ was the first thing that popped into her mind. The skin of his face and hands were the color of fresh cream where a hard blush didn’t suffuse it. 

_ Dark  _ was her second thought, as she noticed his long-for-a-guy mane of midnight-black hair falling around impossible thick shoulders. He put Poe from earlier to shame. 

_ Lips  _ was the third thought, and that was where Rey cut herself off. His lips were berry red as though he’d bitten them, and they were set around a crooked mouth that tilted slightly down to the left. Rey didn’t mind the asymmetricality of his face, though; it was charming in its imperfection. 

He had very nice eyes, and those eyes dropped to her lips, too.

Rey snapped out of it. “‘Scuse me,” she huffed as though she hadn’t just been checking him out too. He held out his hands in askance and Rey shoved the pizza boxes into his hands. Rey climbed to her feet and stared down at the man who remained crouched beneath her. He seemed as though he were trying to memorize her, he was staring so intensely. Rey flushed and reached out for her boxes. 

“Are you alright?” She asked brusquely, because it  _ was  _ partially her fault, and the man nodded with a small smile before rising to his feet. He was much taller than her, and Rey backed up a step. His physique was everything an Alpha would want to be. He was so broad he filled the doorframe to the apartment building and loomed over her. 

He didn’t smell like an Alpha, though. With her face level with his chest she took a subtle sniff of him, and lo and behold, no Alpha. He smelled dominant and strong, but he didn’t carry that obnoxious overpowering scent that Rey feared deep down in her core. 

Then she noticed his tee shirt. “The White Tree of Gondor?”

The guy immediately brightened. “Yup. I’m a big Lord of the Rings fan.”

Rey scoffed. “Rohan is the better kingdom. Theoden had the better speech.”

“Oh really?” He asked, then jerked his chin at her own sweat-stained Captain America shirt. “Iron Man is better.”

Rey gasped. “You take that  _ back!  _ Steve Rogers was completely right about the Accords!”

The guy chuckled, and the warmth of it reached her cold heart. Rey smiled a little. “I’m Rey,” she offered, because damn if she wasn’t raised with manners drilled into her skull, “and you are?”

“Ben,” he nodded, and held out his elbow at her. Rey laughed and bent her arm as best she could while supporting the pizza boxes to touch her elbow to his. They bounced them up and down. “Mind if I come back in?” Rey asked, and Ben leapt back to give her some room. He pressed as close as he could to the wall, but his chest was so broad her shoulder still brushed it. 

Rey looked back at him as he said goodbye and went out. She saw his socks where his dark-wash jeans rode up above his ankle. They were striped dark blue and black with a bronze eagle at the cuff, and she called out, “Oi, Ben!” 

He stopped and glanced back at her. Rey let out a little mischievous chortle. “Hufflepuff is better!” She used her foot to slam the door closed before he could retort and Rey hurried back up the stairs, still giggling. 

In just one day at Naboo U she had already socialized with three Betas  _ and _ an Alpha who respected boundaries. Dr. Kanata must have been psychic; this place already felt more like home than London ever had. 

Finn was waiting with the door open for her to get back, and told her he was fixing to go after her. Rey smiled and said thanks, and they dug into their pizza. 

* * *

Rey’s status as a freshman meant she was only taking core classes that semester, although some were specialized for her designation. Her Psych 101 class was geared towards Omegas, and her Chemistry lab was marked “NOS,” or Non-Offensive Scents. A few of the experiments that occurred in Beta labs were too intense for Omega or Alpha noses. But other than that her English, College Algebra (Rey rolled her eyes at that; she’d already taken Advanced Calculus in her old high school) and Statistics courses were perfectly ordinary. 

Rey struggled to find her classrooms on the student website, and decided to find a Help Desk on campus instead. Before she left she double-checked her pack of suppressors that Dr. Kanata had secured for her. Not only would they keep her pheromonal projection down to minimum, but her ridiculously overactive scent receptors would also be dulled. 

It would be a first for her; Rey had never been able to afford them before now, and her former... _ guardian... _ never signed the consent form for even the least expensive brands. A large part of the reason Alphas harassed her so often was that an unsuppressed scent was associated with low-class hookers, sluts, and hippies. Anyone flashing their scent around was  _ obviously  _ begging for an Alpha. 

The label on the packet warned not to take them on an empty stomach and to stay hydrated throughout the day, and she promised herself she would find something on campus before her class. With all the moving and organizing and planning, groceries were the last thing on her mind. Rey popped the pill.

And didn’t feel any different. She stood there a moment longer in her cluttered room, waiting to feel...protected...invisible... 

But she didn’t  _ feel  _ any different. 

Rey shoved the packet into her ratty old backpack scavenged from some dumpster back in London and headed out. As she locked her door she heard another door being locked and closed down the hall. A faint smell reached her nose, and Rey turned around just as Ben did. 

His grin split his face.  _ He has dimples.  _ He raised a hand in greeting and called out. “Gondor calls for aid!” 

Rey covered her mouth to keep her snort in, and raised the middle finger. “Rohan will  _ not  _ answer.”

Ben stuck his lower lip out, and Rey rolled her eyes. “Fine. Rohan will answer.”

He clapped like a little boy, and sashayed his way towards her. She swears that he must have been one minute of chemical exposure away from being an Alpha, and God just said ‘Nah.’ It seemed...almost a waste that such a charming person wasn’t an Alpha, Rey thought, he wouldn’t be so bad. 

“How’s the room treating you?” Ben asked, “I hope everything’s working alright?”

Rey shrugged. “Nothing I couldn’t fix if it breaks.” 

“Mechanic?” Ben angled away from her so she could pass him in the hall. Again, her shoulder brushed him, but he made no complaint, and neither did Rey. For such a large man, no doubt with a few years on her, she found him remarkably safe. Even safer than the Alpha Poe, who was her own height. Maybe because Ben was a Beta? Or he was gay? Rey decided to not be a tosser and ask such invasive questions, especially since she didn’t really feel like answering any questions herself. “I am,” Rey said. “I specialize in cars, though.”

“Ah, you’re a nerd,” he nodded, “ _ and _ a geek. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up a dork, too.”

“What, like you?” Rey was constantly surprising herself while around Ben. He laughed, and a spark lit in his olive and whiskey eyes. “Touch é .”

As they descended the stairs with Ben leading the way Rey wrestled with herself. If she had to look for the Help Desk it would just take longer to find a snack and her classes. She cleared her throat. “Ben?”

“Yeah,” he tilted his head back up at her.

“Do you know campus well?”

“I hope so, I’ve been here for almost seven years.”

“Seven?!” Rey gasped. She couldn’t keep the horror from her voice.

“I’m a grad student,” Ben waved her off. His voice became a little reproachful. “Not that there’s anything wrong with taking your time. Life happens to everyone.” 

“I’m sorry,” Rey said, and shame twisted in her.  _ Bad Omega. Rude Omega. _

His voice was gentle now, “So you had a question?”

_ Forgiven. _

She swallowed again and handed him her schedule over his shoulder. “Ah,” he rumbled, “you have Holdo first. She’s great. She’ll be able to show you to your next class. Wow, you’re taking five...?”

“I want to graduate early,” Rey murmured, and took her schedule back. “I want to get my degree so I can get a job that’ll help me be independent. I would rather get there sooner rather than later.”

Ben grunted, and through the fringe of hair on his neck she saw he was a little flushed. Good. Let  _ him  _ be embarrassed. Silence fell until he opened the front door for her. “I can show you to your class. Just remember to ask Holdo where your next one is.”

Rey nodded. 

The trek to campus was short and sunny. Ben gave Rey a wide berth, which gave her time to notice that he was dressed rather nicely. His pants had been ironed and he wore a button-down that had been rolled to his elbows. “D’you always dress so fancy for the first day? Am I going to be outclassed by everyone?”

“You do when you’re a TA for the English department,” Ben laughed, “but you most certainly will  _ not  _ be outclassed. If you ever feel down about yourself, just head over the Fine Arts building, start talking, and people will lay flower wreaths at your feet.”

“Anglophiles?”

“Of course.”

Rey grinned at Ben, but she wasn’t minding her feet, one of which skimmed off the sidewalk and Ret went tilting into the street. She stumbled to regain her footing, and heard a loud  _ honk! _

A car was coming. 

“Rey!” Ben shouted, and his arm was around her torso, pulling her _ up  _ and back before the car could swipe her. The car braked to a halt just about a meter past where Rey had been. She would have most definitely been hit. The driver, a woman, cracked the window. Her face was pinched with concern. “Are you alright, sweetie? My gosh, you just fell!”

Rey took a shuddering breath. “I---” 

Ben was having none of it. He barked, “Slow down on this street! Speed limit is 25; you were going at least 40!”

The lady recoiled. “Well, have your girlfriend watch her  _ step _ next time! Jesus,” the lady muttered and drove on, but she was going markedly slower than before. 

Ben’s arm was still around her torso, Rey realised, and it wasn’t helping her heart rate. She squirmed until he dropped it, and when Ben moved in close, she backed away. “Come on,” he murmured, eyes downcast to avoid her own, “walk on the inside. I should have done that earlier. I’m sorry.”

Rey did as he said. Her heart was still thrumming too hard for her to think straight, and she was worried she was having a panic attack. Ben noticed her shallow breathing and stopped. “Rey? Rey, can you hear me?”

The words sounded hollow in her ears, and the ground was spinning. Her stomach felt like it was going to expel everything inside, and she realized it was empty.  _ The pills,  _ Rey realized. She should have waited to take them, but she was so excited...!

Ben was herding her towards a bench with his ham of a hand applying gentle pressure on her backpack. Rey sat and felt her lungs expand in relief when she was no longer standing. Ben knelt in front of her, hands hovering where she could see them but not touching her.

Ben was softly encouraging her to breathe in and out slowly, and she followed as best she could, and the roiling in her stomach began to ease. He pressed a matte black water bottle into her hands, and Rey took a baby sip. Then another. Ben raised and lowered his hand for her to follow with her breathing, and soon it was coming out even and slow. Her vision cleared and focused on him, so Ben asked, “Have you eaten anything this morning yet?” 

Rey swallowed another sip. “My new suppressors from the school...”

“And?”

She shrugged and muttered, “...I was going to get something on campus.”

“Ah,” understanding dawned on his face. “They work  _ very  _ quickly. You really need a full meal before even taking them.”

Rey blushed with shame. “I haven’t had them before. I wanted to be invisible on campus.” Already she was messing up. Who was she kidding? She wasn’t an adult; she couldn’t handle even moving by herself, or walk down a street without near serious bodily injury. Her entire existence here was dependent on the charity of the college and neighbors. A single tear fell down her cheek and wet Ben’s hand. 

She couldn’t even keep it together in front of a near-stranger. 

“Rey,” he whispered. “Wait here.”

And he was gone. He was ditching her. She couldn’t blame him. She was a prickly and miserable and needy Omega.

_ Wait here.  _

That was what her mother told her, once, when she left Rey with Unkar Plutt. 

The world spun again, and she buried her face between her knees. Distantly Rey realized she was going to be late for class, but when she tried to move she found absolutely no motivation to do so.  _ I’m such a failure, and I haven’t even started.  _ Rey shuddered. 

“Rey,” Ben called as he rounded the bench.  _ He came back.  _ With an effort she pulled somewhere deep inside her, she lifted her head up. The way Ben was silhouetted against the bright sun reminded her of some religious icon. His bulky forearms were full of snacks, and he squatted and presented them to her. “I got Reese’s, and Twix---they were out of Hershey’s---and gummy worms...some chips, too. God, you’re not a Vegan, are you? Shoot, I should have asked...uuum...”

Rey stared at this utter saint of a person. She didn’t deserve this. It had to be some trick, and he would demand she pay him back. But for once she didn’t believe that little voice in her head that whispered doom and evil. How could she, when his concern for her was so palpable and genuine? Maybe that’s why she liked his face. He was an open book; so expressive and soulful. For the first time, she noticed his nose was very aquiline and handsome, and that he had endearingly crooked teeth. 

She rasped, “Got any Barbeque crisps in there?” 

He jerked his head up to her in the midst of looking for a vegan-friendly snack. “Yeah,” he nodded, and handed her the bag. 

Once she had slowly made her way through the bag she felt stable enough to walk again, and Ben carefully guided her to her first class. The words  _ Thank you  _ lingered in her throat; it seemed too cheap a thing to thank Ben with, yet all she could muster was a smile and a nod before he left for his own classroom. He left the goodies with her, and she gratefully ate throughout Professor Holdo’s class. 

Somehow the day passed. Rey took her notes dutifully, highlighted her syllabi, and kept her head down. She was happy to see less and less Alphas directing their gazes her way, and she even saw Rose with who must have been her older sister, Paige, the Omega of the two Tico sisters. 

Meeting Paige was an even better balm to Rey’s nerves than Rose. At Rey’s (slightly inappropriate) request Paige sniffed her and reported that the suppressors were working very well, and Rey in turn shared some of the many snacks she still had. The three of them chatted together for the next half hour until Rose had to leave for her Electrical Engineering course. Rey and Paige walked Rose to her class, and Rose, upon finding out that Rey was also intending to major in Engineering, introduced her to Professor Frick. Her and Paige lingered for some time after they left Rose and exchanged numbers. 

When Paige reached out for a hug, Rey eagerly accepted. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d been hugged. Paige whispered, “Call if you need anything. We look out for each other here.”

Heading home that day Rey felt energized and exhausted all at once, but oddly content. She smiled the whole way home. Gratitude and not a little affection sustained her through the walk, and she wondered when Ben would be done with school.

  
  


The next day Rey made sure to eat at least two bowls of cereal before taking her pill, and she again met Ben in the hallway. Today she noticed he was wearing a Captain Marvel shirt under a blazer. Rey raised her eyebrows. 

“Going higher, further, faster, are we?”

Ben chuckled. “Only with my geekiness. Let me see your schedule, again?”

Perplexed, Rey handed him the much-folded paper and Ben nodded down at it. “Yup,” he said slowly. “Yup.”

Defensively, Rey asked, “What?”

Ben peeked up at her from under his thick eyelashes. “I’m the TA for this class, too. Come one, I’ll show you to it.”

Rey pretended to herself that the warm fluttery in her was due to her nervousness for her next classes, and not because she was excited at the idea of staring at Ben two days a week for the rest of the semesters. 

The next few weeks passed so well it was like a dream. Rey stayed under the radar from Alphas thanks to her suppressors, and she spent more time with Paige and Rose, and Finn. Finally, with their support, Rey properly introduced herself to Poe, the Alpha who had first sent Finn and Rose her way. His scent was tamped down significantly from when she’d first met him. He wasn’t on the school-developed suppressors, but when Paige confided he’d double-dosed before Rey’d come over, she was shocked yet again at the generosity of the people at Naboo Uni.

And then there was Ben.

Ben, who walked with her to campus most mornings while always minding her personal bubble. Ben, who she saw every Tuesday and Thursday in her English class, folded into a chair far too small for him. It allowed her to surreptitiously watch him instead of minding the lecture on Wuthering Heights. 

It also allowed him to keep an eye on  _ her _ . Once, when the class was ordered to scramble and find a random partner for discussion, a rather large and hirsute Alpha by the name of Snap Wexly looked directly at her, and made for the empty seat beside Rey. Her heart pounded in her ears as his poorly-suppressed scent hit her, and sweat slicked her palms as she sat frozen like a rabbit. Some Alphas on campus showed obvious disdain for the school-endorsed suppressors, and disregarded the movement for Omega Assault Awareness. Snap was one of them. And because she’d made the mistake of meeting his eye, he was coming towards her.

Ben put a hand on Snap’s shoulder and handed him a paper so marked with red that it appeared to be dipped in blood. Ben subtly looked over Snap’s shoulder at Rey, and she took the chance to pair up with Kaydel Connix, who moved her things to the floor for Rey to sit by her. By the time Ben patted Snap’s shoulder and dismissed him, Rey and Kaydel were well on their way into the topic. 

Ben also left snacks on her doorstep with little notes taped to them to remind her to eat. 

On a pack of Swiss Rolls he’d written:  _ Climb every mountain, Niima!  _

On some sour gummy worms:  _ Hope these don’t turn into Xenomorphs. _

On a bar of dark chocolate:  _ Expecto Patronum.  _ That one was her favorite. 

In return, Rey left a Captain America baseball cap on his stoop, under which she left an invitation to the next Pizza Night with Finn, Poe, Paige and Rose. The night in question came and he arrived with the cap on and arms full of ice cream, generous as always.

Between the support and love of her newfound friends, a steady diet she’d never had while in London, and the homework keeping her mind off the worst of her anxiety, Rey was so happy she’d thought she’d burst.

Winter vacation soon crept upon them, and with it, Finals Week. Pizza Nights turned into Study Nights, and even with the relative ease of her courses Rey was feeling overwhelmed. Five tests were a lot to study for. She and Ben were both so busy that they hardly saw each other except for her English class, and shadows hung even under  _ his  _ eyes. 

But he still smiled at her. Still left little things on her doorstep when he could. It did funny things to her tummy, how he still made the time for little old her. She blushed when their eyes met in class, and so did he. 

Normally, she would have been terrified to feel these things, especially for a big man like Ben, and in truth there was still an undercurrent of anxiety inside her. She accepted that it may always be with her, but she refused to let it make her unhappy. Ben made her happy, and she realized she wanted him.

Still, she didn’t let her crush (getting bigger and stronger every day) get in the way of her studies, and one after another she annihilated her Finals.

With the last days of the semester approaching, students up and down Ben and Rey’s Hallway were leaving, but she didn’t care about those strangers. She didn’t want Ben to go. When they happened to meet in the library, they decided to hang out and catch up. Rey saw her chance and cleared her throat, feigning a casualness she did not feel. “Heading home for Holiday?” 

“Hm?” Ben glanced up at her from some papers from another class. Although their relationship was (unfortunately) platonic, they still kept as high of a wall of ethics between them as possible. Ben was seven years her senior ( _ experienced,  _ her mind supplied), and he was still her T.A. “Oh. Um, are you?”

“I asked you first.”

“No,” Ben shrugged. “My parents and I don’t get along all that well, but we’re getting better. I might visit them after Christmas, but I’m staying in the apartment for at least next semester. Are you headed back to London soon?”

_ Never.  _ “No.” She looked back down to the Electrician’s Manual Rose had lent to her and tried to only feel relieved he wasn’t going anywhere. She wasn’t more nervous. Nope. Not at all. 

Ben cleared his throat. “You know, if you’re, I don’t know...not  _ busy  _ for Christmas Eve or something, maybe we could, I dunno. Movie marathon?” There he went again, looking like some little boy who’d asked for the only toy he’d ever want in his life. “I also have a little tree we could decorate, too, if you’re into that sort of thing.”

Rey felt the need to be honest. “I’ve never really had a proper Christmas.”

Ben was taken aback. “Really?”

She swallowed. If she liked Ben, best he knew that she was carrying things even heavier than he already knew. He didn’t need to know  _ everything,  _ but he hadn’t run when she’d had her attack back in August, so he probably wouldn’t run now. She hoped. 

“My foster...parent...wasn’t the best.” She closed the book and set it down between them. “Actually, he was the worst. He, um, never paid for suppressors. Didn’t want me to...”  _ Oh no, _ Rey thought as her eyes welled up. She peeked at Ben, who looked so steady and sad all at once. He reached his hand out over the book, that pale, large, warm hand, to her, a broken and anxious Omega, and she clasped it like a lifeline.

“Go on,” he rumbled.

Rey did. She told him about how Plutt was an Alpha who only took in young Omegas. How he had given her the option to either work on machines or whore herself out. How scared she was to go back to the foster agency for help. Who would believe her? It was outlandish. She had to stop three times while telling Ben about how one time an Alpha client of Plutt’s had snuck into her room when she was just 14 and  _ hurt _ her. How Plutt had only cared that Alpha hadn’t paid him first. How day after day was hell when she simply walked down the street to fetch milk. 

Her hand trembled hard inside Ben’s, and he gingerly covered it with his other hand as though afraid she would bolt. Who could blame his hesitancy? That was what she did. She snapped, recoiled, and ran. A feral, skittish Omega. But not from Ben. Ben was safe, and a Beta. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, hurt her like she’d been hurt. 

Ben didn’t say anything for a long while, and neither did Rey. “So you can imagine,” she rasped, “Plutt didn’t exactly set presents under a tree.”

Ben nodded slowly. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as though tasting words before he spoke them. “If you ever need me, Rey, just come get me, or call. I  _ will _ be there. I will help you as long as you want me. Not that you need me,” he looked down. “You’re a very strong person. The strongest I’ve ever met.”

A light glowed in her chest. Her lips tingled for the ones set in Ben’s face. “I...I’ve been wanting you. I...you make me feel safe, Ben. You’ve made me happier than I’ve ever been.”

He looked into her eyes, and Rey felt herself lean forward minutely, eyes flickering down to his lips. Ben dipped his head though, and pressed those plump lips to her knuckles. He breathed against her skin, and Rey’s heart fluttered. A warmth bloomed in her. “Rey,” he sighed, resting his forehead against her hand, “Rey...”

“Yes?” she breathed.

“...You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

Rey blushed. Ben raised his head and Rey leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Ben froze at first, but after a moment he shuddered and groaned. Rey felt her body come alive. She reached her other hand out and touched that thick black hair, and it was as heavenly as she’d imagined. She gave it an experimental tug and Ben moaned again. “Rey,” he rasped, a mild warning in his voice.

“Ben?” she hardly felt like herself. She felt drunk on this newfound boldness. Lighter.

He cupped her cheek. “I want, more than _anything,_ believe me, to keep going...but these are due in thirty minutes.” He sounded like he was in genuine pain, and Rey’s heart lifted. “Oh.” she said, and she pulled back, staring down at the stack of papers she’d distracted him from. 

“Should I...?”

“I have to turn these in, first,” he said, “and I have one more thing to do after that but...Would you like to have dinner, later? Just dinner, if you want.”

Rey giggled. “Yes. Yes, Ben, a thousand times, yes.” She gathered her things and hurried out of the library. When Ben thought she’d left, she noticed he bent back down over the stack of papers and attacked them with a vigor Rey had never seen in him before. She bit her lip, wondering if, when pressed, he was as dedicated to other things...

A throb passed through her, and Rey’s whole body swayed. A wave of warmth enveloped her from head to to toe, and she pressed her hand to her forehead. Was she getting sick? She didn’t want to give Ben anything... 

A wave of anxiety unlike any she’d experienced before nearly brought her to her knees, right there in the shadows of the library, but she determinedly pushed herself back up. She had to get home. She had to rest for her date. She needed to be somewhere  _ safe _ . 

She hurried home all the while going over the relaxation exercise the therapist taught her, and the worst of the fear ceased to choke her. Still, Rey felt even better when she finally locked her door behind her. She felt safer.

Rey tore her scarf and jacket off and threw her hat across the room. She sagged to the floor, despondent and confused.

What was going on? Had she gone too far too fast? Was she relapsing? She’d been doing so well, and everything had felt so  _ right  _ with Ben. Was it the idea of going out with him? She closed her eyes and ran the ideal scenario through her mind. 

_ Ben, arriving at her door. _

_ Ben, taking her hand. _

_ Ben, laughing with her across the table. His hand on her thigh. Her legs, spreading. His hand, traveling higher to stroke her core. A moan echoing in her throat, and Ben silencing it with his lush mouth before she could give their game away.  _

Rey gasped as she felt wetness seep into her pants like it often did when she let herself fantasize about Ben.  _ Ben is strong. He is experienced. He gives gifts. He _ provides _ for you.  _ Rey unconsciously palmed her breast through her shirt and moaned. 

Her phone  _ dinged  _ loudly, breaking the spell she’d been weaving. With shaking hands she withdrew her phone and checked her notifications, but it was only the Tico sisters wishing her happy holidays. She replied in kind and scrolled to see if there were any she’d missed from Ben. How long would he be? Would he be back soon? 

Another throb seized her head, and she felt sweat break out on her brow. She checked the thermostat. 67 degrees Fahrenheit. Rey hurried to her medicine cabinet and grabbed her thermometer. 100.4 degrees. That wasn’t a fever, wasn’t it? She  _ had  _ just run home...

Her home was messy, Rey realized as she looked around and saw dozens of things in need of tidying. She swept through the apartment, threw away trash, placed old cups in the sink, she shook out her blankets and sniffed them. Rey dusted and swept with a ferocity that was foreign to her. She wasn’t a sloppy person, necessarily, most Omegas weren’t, but now she realized how  _ inadequate  _ her space was. She couldn’t invite  _ Ben  _ here! 

By the time her floors were shining and her dishwasher was emptied and loaded again Rey was sweating profusely to the point her sweatpants were soaked at the crotch, and no message had come from Ben yet. Had he forgotten her? Did he not want her? Was she not good enough? Was she just making a fool of herself? Why was it so hot in her apartment?

Rey strode over to her window and---.

She shouldn’t open it, her mind whispered,  _ dangerous.  _ In fact, she should lock them, close the blinds. What about curtains? Rey casted around for some sheets she could spare but was stopped dead again by a fierce  _ ache _ inside her. Rey whimpered into her hand that smelled of Windex and Mr. Clean. 

Where was Ben? The longer he was gone more she wanted to have him with her. She shuddered with the need to be  _ held _ by him. Protected from nasty and obscene Alphas and their oppressive scents.

Ben knocked on her door.  _ He’s here! He’s here! _

_ I’m sick--! _

Rey flew to the door and pressed against it. The door was so cool, so she pressed her cheek closer to the painted wood. “Don’t come in!” she squeaked. She warred with herself. Part of her (too strongly) wanted to show him inside so he could be pleased with her nesting. The other (the rational, modern part of her) didn’t want him to catch whatever she had.

“Rey?” His deep voice was muffled by the door. He knocked again. “You alright in there?”

“I think I’m getting sick,” she yelled. The doors were very thick. Very secure. Her mind  _ hmm’ _ ed in pleasure. She wanted to rip open the door and leap into his arms, but she held herself back. 

“Oh no,” Ben said. “What do you need? Some soup? Are you nauseous? Feverish? Talk to me, sweetheart.”

Rey’s whole body clenched at the endearment. She moaned as her abdomen contracted again and she sank to the ground. “It’s pretty bad,” she rasped. “I don’t want you to get sick.”

“Rey...?” Ben’s weight shifted through the door, and she knew he was kneeling just centimeters from her. “Rey, I’m going to go to my apartment. Give me fifteen minutes, sweetheart, and I will be _ right back _ . Will you let me make you something? Will you let me in, then?”

Rey nodded, and knew he could feel the echo of her head moving. Still, Ben pressed, “Answer me, Rey.”

She gasped at the command in his voice. He sounded so authoritative that it nearly scared her, but she soothed herself. This was  _ Ben.  _ Betas could be authoritative too. “I will,” she rasped. 

Ben rose and she heard his footsteps grow fainter as he strode back to his room.  _ Oh,  _ how she didn’t want him to go! She had to get to him soon! Otherwise...

What? Rey asked herself distantly. What would happen? Her thighs chafed against each other, and stars burst behind her eyes. She needed  _ more! _

_ More more more more more! _

_ MORE! _

Rey’s eyes flew open as her brain finally caught up on what was happening to her. She was such a  _ fool!  _

Heat. 

_ Estrus. _

Finally, it was  _ here.  _

And Rey needed  _ Ben.  _ His protection, his  _ bigness.  _ He was already so large, the rest was  _ bound  _ to be the same, wasn’t it...? Even if Ben wasn’t an Alpha he could still give this burning in her some relief. He was kind. He fed her. He was worthy. He could give her what she needed...

Wetness slid down her leg and Rey acknowledged that it was not sweat that soaked her underwear and pants but  _ slick.  _ She clasped her mound through her wet pants and tried to hold back the tide but only succeeded in making more wetness soak into her pants. Without realizing it she ground down into her palm. 

It felt amazing, but it wasn’t going to work. 

She hardly felt safe in her newly cleaned den when the perfect specimen was right down the hall from her. She couldn’t wait for him.

She needed him  _ now.  _

With a burst of daring she wasn’t sure she possessed, Rey wrenched open her door and fled down the hall to Ben’s room. She was dripping slick as she ran, and she prayed that there were no Alphas nearby. Her rational mind whispered that most of the residents had gone home for winter break, but the Omega in her was screaming what stupid idea this was, even though it had  _ just _ told her to hunt down her man!

Rey flew into Ben’s door and pounded her desperation upon the wood. When he didn’t answer immediately ( _ nownownownownownowIneedreliefNOW!)  _ she tried the handle, and, God Above, it was open. Rey yanked the door open and flung herself inside, and with shaking hands she locked the deadbolt on his door. 

_ Not enough!  _ Rey’s brain crowed, and she looked left, right, left again, and spotted a low-built bookshelf loaded with well-worn paperbacks and textbooks. Rey clasped the shelf with both hands and hauled it with her whole body to block the doorway. Alphas unworthy of her could come hunting any moment. She had to protect herself and her mate. 

Her cunt gave another spasm and she fell to her knees, bruising them. But Rey just gripped the floor with her feet and hauled the shelf with the last of her strength. She was dripping in sweat and slick, body aching with a need she had never known before in all her life.

“Rey?!” Ben finally found her. Rey looked up and saw Ben emerge from the adjoined bathroom. He was shocked, that much was plain, but concern so quickly overrode his initial reaction that she got whiplash just looking at him. Rey clasped herself again, abruptly  _ very  _ embarrassed to be dripping everywhere. “Ben,” she groaned, “it’s happening.”

Oddly enough Ben took a very large inhale and he whispered, “Holy shit...”

“I know,” she whimpered. “I just...I didn’t even  _ think,  _ but I felt safer in here than in my room. I didn’t know what else to do...” She could feel her flush returning full force. She winced as her hand rubbed her the right way to make her body tremble.

Ben approached her slowly, “This is your first heat.” Not a question. “And you came  _ here.” _

“You’re a Beta,” she cracked her eyes open before they were forced shut by alternating waves of bliss and agony, “you’re safe.”

“Rey,” he had never sounded in so much pain. “I’m not a Beta.” 

Her eyes flew open in shock. Utter betrayal cut through the haze of lust that previously filled her. Finally she saw it in his hand, that familiar bottle that hid her from Alphas so well that not even a fellow Omega could scent her. And for crying out loud, these apartments were specially designed for  _ Omegas and Alphas.  _ It was such an obvious truth Rey could only doubt her own intelligence. 

Of course Ben was an Alpha. 

It had been there all along in those little things. How he protected her, left her offerings, even the little instances of command that he revealed once in a blue moon. Another wave of slick spurted from her, and she wailed in what could only be described as despair. “Fuck--!”  _ Ben was an Alpha.  _ Everything she had built around him crumbled. 

Ben fell to his knees before her. Even now, with a rut imminent with them both trapped in the room where her pheromones soaked into every nook and cranny, he sought to comfort her, and took care not to tower over her. “Rey, you must have always known. Deep down, I think you did. Let me help you, sweetheart.”

“No!” Rey recoiled, tears now joining the sweat that flowed down her face. “No knots! I can’t...!”

“Okay,” Ben held out his hands to her, “that’s okay. There are other things we can try. Because you came here, to me, knowing I ardently admire and love you.”

_ Love.  _

Rey looked down at his hand and his intent eyes. Another truth rose up in her.  _ I love him too _ . She loved that he got her references. She loved that he was kind. And at that moment, she loved his utter  _ bigness. _

She swallowed and extended her damp hand out to his. “Help me, Alpha,” she whispered. Ben grasped her hand, stood, and lifted her up. As soon as she regained her footing, he said, “How do you feel about cucumbers?”

Rey short circuited just  _ hearing  _ that question, and even her hormone-addled brain pumped the brakes.  _ “What?” _

“Cu-cum-ber,” Ben enunciated as he swept her into his arms and made for his bed. “I can’t knot you, but I can make do. And if you’re okay with it...” Ben tossed her body so Rey was momentarily weightless before she flopped onto his bed and  _ oooooh,  _ his scent was everywhere. Unclouded. Unsuppressed. Rey mewled and nuzzled into Ben’s wrinkled pillowcase, twisting her body this way and that to relieve the cramps in her until she found her back bowed, ass in the air, and Ben was slowly peeling off her soaked sweatpants, but left her panties there. The cool air against her slick-wet skin made her hiss, and Ben’s warm, wide hands gently brushed her thighs. 

Ben finally finished his sentence. “I can eat you out until you’re giving these walls a run for their money. Is that okay?”

_ “Yes!”  _ she wriggled, and wave after wave of wet wept out her cunt at the thought. “Yes, Ben.”

“Wait here,” he commanded, and his Alpha scent was now coming directly off the source. It made her heart pound a little, but she peeked her eyes open and reminded herself this was Ben. Kind Ben. Gentle Ben. Big Ben. 

Rey giggled in spite of everything, and reached down to touch herself through her panties. They were practically falling off, they were so sodden, and when Rey pressed hard enough, slick dribbled down her arm and soaked the bed sheets. She rubbed furiously, trusting Ben to be back soon and take care of her. She growled in frustration in spite of her self-assurance and shoved her panties aside to stuff herself with one finger, then two, then three. Her body was stretching far more than it normally would, and she drooled at the idea of being stuffed with whatever Ben could put in her. 

She pumped her fingers so hard that her wrist was aching almost as much as her womb. She flipped over to her back and pinched her vulva together until her clit sang, all the while crying out for Ben. Pressure, as though she needed to pee, built up, but Rey couldn’t-- wouldn’t-- make herself stop. If she pissed in his bed he could just punish her. At the thought of Ben putting those massive fingers inside and scissoring her in vengeance, or even stuffing her ass, Rey came with a hoarse shout, and liquid spurted from her urethra like a fountain. Distanly she was horribly embarrassed, but her nose told her that it was not, in fact, piss.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he said, sounding rougher than normal, “you’re a squirter...” Rey opened her eyes and saw Ben kneel on his bed. With a nod to him, Ben parted her thighs and licked a long stripe down each leg, stopping short of her cunt each time. She snarled at him, and a wide palm on her stomach stopped her. “None of that, now.”

When she twitched in discomfort, Ben released her. He looked her dead in the eye. “I’m going to taste you, now, Rey. I’m going to put my mouth on your little pussy and finger fuck you until you come again. Understood?”

Rey’s hips bucked, and the motion sent sweat rolling into her eyes. She threw her head back and howled for Ben to  _ just fucking do something ooh Christ, oh Ben!! _

Ben devoured her whole. His jaw was long and her cunt small, and he licked everything from her ass to her clit. His tongue was exceptionally gifted with the way it parted her, fucked her oversensitive hole, and drew intricate patterns over her bundle of nerves. 

_ Oh,  _ how often she’d imagined those plump lips on her while in class. How often she had to avoid his eye, terrified he’d read her mind. She was forced to acknowledge she’d never known how good this could be. As Rey rode his face, he stiffened his tongue for her. 

She knew he must be touching himself. She  _ hoped  _ he was. The Omega in her whined that she was being bad, bad bad! She had to please her Alpha. But the part of her that she’s worked with while seeing her therapist knew she was not ready yet for his knot. Still, she called out for Ben’s fingers. 

With gentle sucking motions on her clit Ben probed her with his blunt-tipped finger, and she bucked her hips to take more of him in. “Fuck,” he swore, and he added another finger. She could hear the wet squelching noises as he fucked her vigorously. The stretch was so perfect Rey could have cried, and in fact already was.

Ben groaned against her core, and she thought for  _ sure  _ that his wrist must be aching, but when he crooked his fingers so her pussy was stretched open Rey came with blinding intensity. Ben licked gentle circles on her cunt while she came down, and kept his fingers in her to keep the heat at bay.

Rey blinked the tears from her eyes and let out a shuddering breath. Ben came up beside her, still fully dressed and pressed wet kisses to her neck. She whined. 

“Good, sweetheart?” 

She wriggled her hips with his fingers in her. “Very, Ben.”

He nuzzled her neck, and she clenched around his fingers. She almost never touched her scent glands there. Ben licked circles on the skin there until she was blinded with pleasure again. He sighed. “I can taste you...You smell like chocolate, did you know that? And just beneath that...almonds...”

Rey moved her head towards him and Ben met her lips while still pumping away in her. Rey rode the waves of pleasure he still managed to wring from her over and over. She broke the kiss and whispered, “I wish I were better.”

“No,” he murmured, “don’t do that. Not with me. I do need to cum, though, Rey. Will you be okay with that?”  
Hurriedly she nodded and Ben told her to put her fingers down into herself again, that he’d be right back. It was an anti-climatic transition, and Rey was fixing to bite him in displeasure when he returned, but when he did her mouth dropped to see what he had piled in his arms. 

A box of condoms.

A cucumber, washed thoroughly.

A carrot.

A bunch of bananas.

An electric toothbrush.

A kitchen whisk.

A  _ broom.  _

Ben saw her face and gave a slow smile. “Get ready, sweetheart,” he said, and now that he’d missed his nightly dosage of suppressors, his Alpha scent was bleeding through. Rey spread her legs wide, causing slick to dribble from her hole down to Ben’s already-soiled sheets. She shivered at the sensation, and Ben set to work filling her every hole. 

Part of her cringed at the idea of being fucked with a whisk, but her sensitive walls loved the feel of the cool and flexible wire inside of her, and its width was nearly as that of a knot, which was perfect. But soon her inner muscles were clenching so hard that Ben could scarcely move it, and the wire was beginning to bend, and he had to remove it before it became unusable.

Into her ass Ben negotiated the condom-covered the end of the broom handle, mercifully smooth and with it inside of her, Ben had a way to keep her pinned down. With both of his hands freed up, he pummeled her cunt with the condom-covered cucumber with one, and his other hand set the back of the electric toothbrush against her clit. 

Rey  _ screamed,  _ and she was so lost in the sensations Ben gave to her she hardly paid heed to the Alpha scent of him. She only knew that this was  _ Ben _ and he was going to take care of her.

Soon enough even the cucumber’s integrity was compromised, and they were onto the carrot next.

The night passed in a blur of fluids and pleasure beyond anything Rey had ever experienced. 

Ben made no sound of complaint that she couldn’t take his knot, but she did find she enjoyed watching him touch himself, and she desperately wished that  _ she  _ was the one to bring him to climax. When it came time for him to cum, his fist was pressed down so hard against his knot that she couldn’t see it, and it almost restored the illusion of Ben’s fictitious Beta status in her mind, but Rey did not allow herself to follow that fantasy. Ben was an Alpha, and he was treating her with respect, love, and care. He sprayed her with his cum, and the warmth of it on her skin was startling and yet very pleasant.

He was the ultimate exposure therapy; Rey suspected that it was her comfort with him, an Alpha that allowed her body to finally enter into heat. But it was just Ben being Ben that nudged her to love this great dork of a man 

Over the course of the next day her heat waned considerably, and she was deathly tired. Her body simply was not ready for a full-term heat. Ben made her drink water, buckets of it, and as it turned out, the bananas were not for sex, but rather just a healthy snack to be kept nearby. She was actually kind of disappointed. Ben fell off the bed from laughing so hard at her expression. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Ben wiped actual  _ tears  _ from his eyes, “did you want me to  _ bangana you  _ with these?”

“Oh my God...” Rey buried her face into Ben’s pillows.

“That was a good one!”

“It was  _ not.” _

Rey took a shower to restore herself to human decency while Ben called Dr. Kanata for her, who, as it turned out, was a very close friend of his family. Rey crept from the bathroom and found Ben had stripped the bed and placed new sheets down, and had set a pot of soup on the stove. Now that she could think, Rey noticed the little tree that Ben had promised. It wasn’t more than three feet tall, but it was so endearing with its stubby branches and box of ornaments beside it. 

Ben straighted from where he was toweling the floor. Rey blushed at how much fluid she’d secreted while in heat. “Hi,” she said, and Ben smiled at her again. Ruts typically lasted as long as the heats did, and his composure just reinforced the fact that her first heat had only lasted a day.

“Dr. Kanata said she can make a house call in a few hours,” Ben said, and he made his way over to her. She approached him, too, meeting him halfway and wrapping her arms around him. He blushed like a school boy at the gesture, despite everything they had done that night, and Rey felt her heart swell for him. He cautiously returned the gesture, and she found that she was perfectly comfortable with him. 

“My apartment is clean,” Rey offered, “I can see her there while you, ah, air everything out in here.” 

Ben kissed the top of her head. “Let’s eat, first. After that we can remove your barricade, Ms. French Revolution.”

“Yes,” Rey agreed. At least with Ben, her time of barriers and barricades was over. 

__

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment down below, and go check out kira_khaleesi's work!


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